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Microplastics in drinking water present 'low' risk: WHO

The World Health Organization has said that the level of microplastic particles in drinking water isn't a major cause for concern. However, it warned that more research was needed into their effects on human health.

The UN's health agency on Thursday said that microplastics contained in drinking water posed a "low" risk at their current levels.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) — in its first report on the potential health risks of microplastic ingestion — also stressed more research was needed to reassure consumers.

The report sums up a small but growing number of scientific studies on the subject and draws its conclusions from them.

Microplastics arise when man-made materials degrade into tiny particles. While the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration classifies them as any type of plastic fragment of less than 5 millimeters (about one-fifth of an inch), most human health concerns are focused on far smaller particles.

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Plastics inside us

Plastics inside us

More research needed

The report's authors concluded that research should focus on chemical additives in plastic and the effects of microplastics small enough to enter tissues.

Most plastic particles in water are more than 150 micrometers in diameter and are excreted from the body. But, the report said, "smaller particles are more likely to cross the gut wall and reach other tissues."

"For these smallest size particles, where there is really limited evidence, we need to know more about what is being absorbed, the distribution and their impacts," said one of the authors, Jennifer De France.

Given the low risks, the WHO said countries instead should focus more attention on removing harmful microbes, which cause nearly 500,000 deaths from diarrhea each year, from drinking water.

However, the organization also found that consumers and governments needed to do more to reduce the use of plastics in general to protect the environment.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Plastic in your mouth

Microplastics are defined as smaller than 5 milimeters in diameter. But these tiny particles accumulate in the sea, can enter the food chain, and are even found in the air. Personal care products containing microplastics, such as toothpaste, represent one of the most common intentional uses of microplastics in our daily lives.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Cleaning your skin with plastic

Some cosmetic products can contain as much plastic added as the amount of plastic in which they are packaged, experts indicate. Exfoliating daily washes very often use of microplastics, often termed "micro-beads," which then get flushed into the household wastewater stream.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Mmm, plastic

Via wastewater, microplastics reach the oceans, where they move enter the food chain through feeding zooplankton. In 2017, researchers found that 25 percent of marine fish tested in markets in Indonesia and California had plastic and textile fibers in their guts. Research is still lacking as to whether consuming microplastics through fish harms humans.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Plastic condiment

Several studies published in 2017 showed that microplastics have also been found in sea salt from the United States, Europe and China. It's not surprising, considering how plastic debris represent between 60 to 80 percent of the total marine waste, and that up to 12 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean every year.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

No way to escape

Beside microplastics in seafood like fish, shrimp and mussels, scientists point to other foods, such as honey. In the recently adopted European Union plastics strategy, honey was mentioned as one of the food products containing microplastics — to motivate a push toward a ban.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Wearing plastics

Aside from micro-beads in hygiene products, synthetic textiles also release a vast amount of tiny plastic fibers into wastewater. Researchers found that a typical 6-kilogram (13-pound) washing load of acrylic-fabric items (like fluffy blankets) generates more than 700,000 individual fibers. Synthetic fabrics account for around a third of ocean microplastics.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Dirty wheels

Vehicles tires are also a main source releasing microplastics into the environment. Tires are made of synthetic polymers mixed with rubber, which grinds down when used. This generates microplastics that are either blown around by the wind or washed away by rain. Norwegian and Swedish researchers agree that a large proporation of particles found in the sea come from car tires.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Open the tap, and ... microplastics

Microplastics have also been found in tap water. In an analysis of tap water samples from countries around the world, more than 80 percent were contaminated with some amount of plastic fibers. If synthetic fibers are in tap water, they are also likely to be in a number of other basic foodstuffs, like bread.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

No, not my beer!

And yes, if tap water contains microplastics, beer could very well also be contaminated. A 2014 study found plastic particles in a total of 24 German beers - but variability in the results was high, and further research would needed for verification, the German Environment Agency has pointed out. In any case, cheers for now.

Author: Irene Banos Ruiz

A previous study, by the environment charity WWF international, found that some individuals could be ingesting 5 grams (0.18 ounces) of plastic each week — the equivalent of a credit card. That research found that the largest source of plastic entering the body was drinking water, although shellfish was also a major contributor.